THE DESCRIPTION OF Tityus caripitensis. A NEW VENEZUELAN SCORPION (SCORPIONIDA, BUTHIDAE)

M. QUIROGA(1), L. DE SOUSA(2), P. PARRILLA-ALVAREZ(1)

(1)Laboratorio de Alacranología, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Oriente, Núcleo de Bolívar, Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela; (2)Grupo de Biomedicina Aplicada (GBA), Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud (CICS), Universidad de Oriente, Núcleo de Anzoátegui, Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela.

ABSTRACT. This paper describes a new species of scorpion of the Tityus genus, Tityus caripitensis (Scorpionida: Buthidae). This species can be found in Caripito, Bolívar municipality of Monagas State, Venezuela. The number of species of Tityus genus in Venezuela has increased to 37 with the inclusion of Tityus caripitensis. A diagnosis of the most significant morphological characteristics of both males and females of this new species, which has been causing serious envenomings in the Bolívar and Punceres municipalities, has been carried out.

KEY WORDS: scorpion, Tityus, new species, Venezuela.

CORRESPONDENCE TO:

M. QUIROGA, Apartado Postal 137, Ciudad Bolívar 8001-A, Estado Bolívar, Venezuela. E-mail: mquiroga@telcel.net.ve